“Industry education programs and initiatives, and the millions of Americans who recycle every day help ensure continuously high paper recovery rates,” said AF&PA Board Chairman and Sappi North America President and CEO Mark Gardner.

The annual paper recovery rate has nearly doubled since 1990 and the industry has set a goal to exceed 70 percent paper recovery by 2020 as part of its Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 sustainability initiative. Paper recovery for recycling helps extend the useful life of paper and paper-based packaging products, making it an integral part of the industry’s sustainability story.